THE CONCRETE BRIDGE MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2016

ASPIRE is a quarterly magazine published by PCI in cooperation with the associations of the National Concrete Bridge Council. The editorial content focuses on the latest technology and key issues in the Concrete Bridge Industry.

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Page 23 of 55

The 100th Anniversary of the founding
of the Portland Cement Association
(PCA) provides a unique opportunity
that many of us can only experience
once in our lifetime. The anniversary
marks an occasion to not only celebrate
the association, but where the industry
has come and where it is heading
into the next century. This is not just a
testament to the resiliency of concrete,
but also its role as a building block of
society. Without concrete our homes,
roads, schools, and cities would not
exist as they are today.
T h r o u g h a l l o f t h e c h a n g e s i n
technology and society over the last
100 years, PCA's original charter still
stands—like many of the concrete
roads, buildings, and other structures
that were built over the past century
and are still in active use.
One of our original ad slogans was
"Concrete for Permanence." We have
modified that in this new century to
discuss the importance of resiliency.
Similarly to our charter, the message
that we use still is just as critical as it
was a century ago.
Concrete has evolved into a complex,
h i g h - t e c h m a t e r i a l . H o w e v e r, i t s
fundamental benefits—particularly
strength, durability, and resilience—
are valued today more than ever.
In 1872, David O. Saylor built the
first portland cement plant in the
U n i t e d S t a t e s , n e a r A l l e n t o w n i n
Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Others
soon followed, and by the turn of
the twentieth century, cement was
emerging as a construction staple.
This increasing popularity brought
about a serious problem. At that time
cement was sold in cloth sacks. Buyers
paid a deposit on each sack, which
was refunded upon return of the sack
to the plant for re-use. But return
of sacks for refilling was slow and
erratic, and they were often in poor
condition. Sacks were often stolen
from construction sites and cashed in
for deposits. Railroads complained of
poor packaging and labeling.
B.F. Stradley of Vulcanite Portland
Cement Company wrote to cement
company executives calling for a meeting
to discuss "the present methods of
handling sacks, which are almost
universally unsatisfactory" and proposed
that an industry group be formed
to facilitate the collection, repair, and
recycling of cement sacks. Accordingly,
in 1902 cement makers formed the
Association of American Portland
Cement Manufacturers (AAPCM).
As the industry continued to expand,
there were needs for reliable technical
information, research, and uniform
test methods and standards. In 1916,
the AAPCM was reorganized as the
P o r t l a n d C e m e n t A s s o c i a t i o n t o
address these needs.
PCA began operations with 53 cement
company members, a headquarters
o ff i c e i n C h i c a g o , e i g h t d i s t r i c t
offices, and a total of 121 employees.
Promotion and gover nment affairs
were priorities right from the start.
T h e y e a r o f P C A's f o u n d i n g w a s
also the year that the U.S. Congress
passed the first federal-aid highway
act, setting into motion a network of
national highways.
P C A m a r k e t e d c o n c r e t e r o a d s
a g g re s s i v e l y w i t h a n a d v e r t i s i n g
campaign in 10 national weeklies,
23 trade magazines, and 59 farm
jour nals. These early ads stressed
the value of paved roads for the
d i s t r i b u t i o n o f f o o d a n d o t h e r
products, including the idea that
Construction at the Portland Cement Association's campus in Skokie, Ill. in the 1950s. All Photos: Portland Cement Association Archives. C o n s t r u c t i o n a t t h e P o r t l a n d C e m e n t A s s o c i a t i o n ' s c a m p u s i n S k o k i e , I l l . i n
by Alpa Swinger, Portland Cement Association
PCA Centennial
A century of influencing infrastructure
in the United States
22 | ASPIRE Summer 2016
P R O J E C T